Bulgaria vs Tajikistan

Tajikistan is 29% larger than Bulgaria.

BulgariaTajikistanBulgaria moved onto Tajikistan · Equal-area projection
0.78×
Bulgaria is 0.78× the area of Tajikistan. Put the other way, Tajikistan is 1.29× the size of Bulgaria.
BulgariaTajikistan
Area110,994 km²143,100 km²
Population6,433,30210,786,734
Density58 / km²75 / km²
CapitalSofiaDushanbe
RegionEastern EuropeCentral Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours54

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bulgaria sits at about 43°N and is stretched to 1.86× its true area; Tajikistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.63×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Bulgaria bigger than Tajikistan?
No. Bulgaria is 22% smaller than Tajikistan. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Tajikistan covers 143,100 km².
How many times does Bulgaria fit into Tajikistan?
About 1.3 times: Tajikistan has 1.29× the area of Bulgaria.
Why do Bulgaria and Tajikistan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bulgaria is drawn about 1.86× its true area there and Tajikistan about 1.63×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Tajikistan?
Tajikistan: 10,786,734 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Tajikistan 75 per km².